Princess of Immersion
by lin-ifyouplease
Summary: Another year has gone since Mara Jones's last big adventure. Now that things have calmed down for our favorite Captain, her life starts to turn upside down. Mara claims that her life is unsatisfying and hopes that magic could make it better. However, all magic comes with a price, and this price is particularly... fishy. The 3rd book of the Mara Jones Series (Drama/Fantasy/Romance)
1. Chapter 1

**AN: It's time! Welcome to the third installment of the Mara Jones series! I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

><p>As often in these happily ever afters, nothing ever seems to go wrong. The little town of Storybrooke, Maine, hasn't been so peaceful in years. There was almost no crime rate as the sheriff department worked tirelessly to keep the town safe. The new mayor of Storybrooke, Mary Margaret, had everything under control, and everyone couldn't be happier, especially Mara Jones, the sheriff's daughter. WIth no curses or threats to the town, she and her family could relax and enjoy their lives in each other's company. Not only were her parents and grandparents happy, but so was her boyfriend.<p>

What Mara loved the most about her living situation was how the sun always managed to sneak in through the window over their heads and not blind her when she woke. It was the most beautiful sight to see her room filled with sunlight whenever she woke up.

Then she'd fall back down on the bed and turn her head slightly to the left. Maybe not the MOST beautiful sight in the world, she thought.

Mara giggled every time Peter's face was turned to her when he slept because he seemed to have the face of an angel whenever he was asleep. His blonde hair was in a shaggy mess on top of his head. She would constantly attempt to brush it down and make it neater to make this image even more perfect.

Peter squeezed his face and crinkled his nose, then waking up with a stretch and a yawn, instantly falling back onto the bed afterwards.

"Morning," Mara said softly, leaning over and kissing his cheek.

"Good morning," Peter grunted.

The sound of Peter's accent over his grumbling made Mara chuckle a little bit.

"What?" Peter asked, frowning at her.

She shrugged for a moment, then threw herself over him. It caught him a little off guard, but he wasn't complaining at all. Mara was on top of him and kissed him several times, smiling and laughing as they did so. When they stopped for a brief moment, Peter put his hand on her cheek, touching the natural pink blush she had. Meanwhile, Mara was a bit confused as to why he was just staring at her with big eyes.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," he nodded, "I was just thinking… it's been a year since we got back and nothing bad has happened to us."

Mara stopped for a moment, then sat up, "Huh… I guess you're right… I hadn't noticed that it had been so long."

Peter sat up as well, keeping Mara with him as he placed his hands on her waist.

"No dastardly villains, no jealous princes, no curses to pull us apart from each other," he smiled, kissing her cheek, then her nose, then her lips very softly.

"I know," she whispered, kissing him back.

That small kiss turned into one very long kiss, which turned into several kisses. Soon they were back, lying on the bed, completely wrapped up in each other. That was when Mara's phone went off. She lifted her head up, her black hair in a mess over her face. She moved back to her side of the bed and picked up her phone.

"It's my dad," she said.

"Always the buzz kill, that one," Peter groaned, throwing his hands over his face.

"Daddy?" Mara called over the phone, then she paused, "Yeah, we're up… breakfast?" Mara looked over at Peter, who gave her a thumbs up, "We'll be there…. Love you too. Bye."

She put the phone back down on the bedside table and got out of bed, walking straight to the bathroom.

"Granny's again?" Peter asked.

"Yep," she responded, "In an hour, so get dressed."

"Right then," Peter sighed and got up, going through his drawers for his new wardrobe that Mara picked out especially for him. As he was doing so, he muttered under his breath, "There may be no villains, but there is none greater threat to me that my girlfriend's parents."

"I heard that!" Mara shouted, then laughed a little bit.

* * *

><p>The door closed just behind Tiger Lily as she exited her bedroom at Granny's. Thankfully, after Henry pushed and annoyed Granny long enough, she allowed her to stay there as long as she wanted. Henry did say that in exchange for getting her a place to sleep, he would have to meet up with her for at least one meal a day at Granny's. Of course, Lily isn't one to give in so easily, so she agreed to at least spend more time with him.<p>

For sure, Storybrooke wasn't anything like Neverland at all. In Neverland, she woke up beside a tree stump with nothing but green jungle and thick humid air around her, and she hunted around the island for food to start off her day with a tribe of men all trailing behind her. In Storybrooke, Tiger Lily woke up in a soft bed with warm blankets, surrounded by a cream colored room and flower patterns. Instead of hunting for her first meal, all she had to do was go downstairs and order something. It was definitely something she was going to have to get used to. As she came down the stairs, exited the lobby of the bed and breakfast, just past the stairs, she saw Tristan just coming the other way.

"Hey Lily!" he called to her, "I hoped I'd see you this morning."

"Hey," she replied and gave him a little hug, "What are you doing here so early?"

"You didn't know?" he asked, "I'm staying upstairs."

"No kidding," she said, "Me too."

"Small world," Tristan chuckled, "but it's just until I can find my own place."

"Are you looking anywhere in particular?" Tiger Lily asked.

He shrugged, "Maybe a cute little house by the water. That'd be nice."

"That would be something," she nodded, "to hear the ocean waves when you go to sleep at night."

"Yeah," he sighed, "but I haven't found an availability just yet."

"Don't give up," she smiled, "It'll happen eventually."

"I like the optimism," Tristan laughed, "Hey, do you maybe wanna grab something to eat?"

"No, no," she said with a small smile, "I promised Henry I'd meet him outside the diner. He's taking me somewhere else for breakfast."

Tristan paused for a minute, then nodded to himself, "Ah… Henry…"

"Yeah…" she said, suddenly feeling the awkward tension thicken the air.

Tristan and Tiger Lily were friendly with each other, but lately, she has noticed that whenever they talk about romantic notions, it always gets awkward. Her heart starts to race a little bit more and her face feels a little hot. Then again, the same thing happens around Henry too. They were both pretty easy to talk to, but she didn't think anything of this whenever it happened. She just thought that the idea of romance simply did that to her. She didn't think that her sudden physical change had anything to do with how she might feel romantically for either boy.

"But I'll see you later," she said, trying to make the moment any less awkward, "You're staying here now, so we'll definitely see each other more often."

"Yeah…" Tristan nodded, "Well, I'll see ya."

She waved at him as he left, then decided to quickly get out of the hallway that started to feel smaller the longer she stood there.

When Lily opened the door, Mara and Peter came up the walkway, hand in hand and smiling at each other, no different than every other time she saw them. She politely waved at them and rushed to Henry's car. Mara knew all too well that if Tiger Lily was out of there in a rush to see Henry, then there was obviously a slightly wounded Tristan roaming around there someplace.

There he was, walking in and practically throwing himself at the counter, pushing the mug that was there towards the coffee pot.

"Uh oh," Mara sighed, "Let me guess. Tiger Lily trouble."

Tristan looked up at her and almost looked annoyed that she knew him so well.

"Stop reading my emotions," Tristan sighed, "It freaks me out sometimes."

"That's the price of having me as your best friend," Mara sassed him and sat down on the stool next to him, "Now spill. What's going on?"

"I don't know, honestly," he groaned, throwing his hands in his hair, "It's like she wants to be around me, but she doesn't at the same time."

"A feeling I am all too familiar with," Peter chuckled as he sat behind Mara, who gave him a death glare, followed by a shrug at his shoulder, "Kidding, love," he replied.

"Do you think she likes you?" Mara asked.

"That's the thing," Tristan complained, "I think she does… but I think she likes Henry too."

"Well then there's that little dilemma," Mara said under her breath.

"I know that he and I vowed, back in the Enchanted Forest, to play fair," Tristan whined, "but lately it's been getting more and more difficult. Did you know I'm staying 2 doors down from her upstairs and she had no idea until about 2 minutes ago? I'm going crazy over here thinking about her."

Tristan threw himself back onto the counter so his head was buried underneath his arms. Mara rubbed her hand on his back gently.

"You know what you should do?" she asked.

"What's that?"

"I think you and Henry need to reestablish some boundaries. I think you both also need to tell Lily what's going on. Whatever's going on here, she obviously doesn't seem to get, otherwise she would have chosen either one of you a year ago. If you make her aware of the situation, it might draw her to a conclusion quicker."

"Fine," he sighed, "but I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep up this whole polite friendship thing with her."

"Patience is a virtue," Mara said, raising her eyebrows and turning to her boyfriend, who was still in the stool beside her, "Right, dear?"

"Absolutely," Peter said sarcastically, remembering all the times he had to stand idly by while Mara either refused to choose him or didn't remember a thing about him at all. At least he got what was coming to him in the end, which made him kiss Mara on the head.

The little bell on the door rang. Mara and Peter turned around to see Mary-Margaret and David, Mara's grandparents, with their son James Nolan, who was now a strapping young boy at the age of seven, going by the nickname Jimmy. Not too far behind them were Mara's parents, Emma and Killian.

"Ahoy!" Killian entered in with a loud roar.

"Hey dad," Mara laughed, "Why don't you guys get us a booth, we'll be right there."

"No, go," Tristan said, "I'm just gonna take my coffee and go back to my room."

"You sure you don't want to join us?" Peter offered.

"It's fine," Tristan insisted, "I'll be okay for a little while."

Mara gave him a comforting grin and stood him up for a big hug, "Get some rest, okay? You look like you need it."

"Yes, mother," he mocked, causing the both of them to laugh a little bit. As he walked away from her, Mara smacked him the back of the head, causing all three of them to laugh a little bit more.

After Tristan left, Mara and Peter joined their family at the table.

"Peter," Mary-Margaret called, "I see you've got yourself a brand new wardrobe."

"Yes ma'am," Peter said proudly, looking at the comfortable and stylish leather jacket he was wearing, "All thanks to your granddaughters modern taste."

"He looks like a boss," Jimmy said loudly, causing people to chuckle at him.

"It suits you," David added, "It's surprising how you people from other worlds conform to this world so easily."

"Yeah," Mara said, brushing back a little bit of Peter's blonde hair from his forehead, "He did conform pretty well."

"You should have seen the look on her face when I finally ditched the old Neverland clothes," Peter said with a chuckle.

"HA!" Emma laughed, "You should've seen my face after I first saw your father in modern clothes."

"What happened?" Mara asked.

Killian put his cup of coffee down and casually said, "You."

Mara cringed and threw her hands over Jimmy's ears, "Okay! Thank you father for scarring both your daughter and your brother-in-law."

Mary-Margaret, David, Emma, and Killian were all laughing at each other and the fact that they love embarrassing the youngest generation.

"Now that we've had our laug," David said, turning to Peter, "Peter, how was your hunting trip the other day?"

"Just fine, thanks," Peter said with a smile, taking Mara's hand, "Mara's well on her way to making me a pro."

"He has terrible aim," Mara laughed.

"I'm just a beginner with a crossbow," Peter explained, "Just give me some time. I'll get better at it."

Mary-Margaret nudged David, "Honey, why don't you take Peter out hunting some time? It'll be a nice bonding experience."

"If he'd like," Peter said.

"Sure thing," David smiled.

"Can I come too, dad?" Jimmy asked, pulling on his father's jacket.

"Hold on there, kid," Emma halted, "I don't think our parents want you around sharp flying objects."

Jimmy frowned and sat back in his seat.

"Tell you what," Killian interjected, "you and I will go sailing tomorrow afternoon instead, eh?"

The little black-haired boys face lit up as he started clapping and smiling, making Killian feel just as happy. He rarely spent time with his wife's little brother, so it was about time he started making good on his promise to get close to him.

"Besides," Mara said, leaning in towards Jimmy, "It's more fun out on the sea, where danger lurks around every corner. There's pirates, sharks, and mermaids!"

"Mermaids?" Jimmy asked, wide-eyed, "Have you ever seen one?"

"Why yes, I have," she said, inching her face close to his, "She was this close to me, just about to drown me when."

"Crash!" Peter shouting, clapping his hands together and imitating himself knocking Jimmy over, "I struck the mermaid down and off she went."

"Wow!" Jimmy gasped, then turned quickly to Mary-Margaret, "Mommy, I want to go with Mara and Peter today."

"Oh!" Mary-Margaret said surprised, "Is that okay with you guys?"

"Absolutely!" Mara said excitedly, scooping Jimmy up in her arms and hugging him, "We'll have him back by night and you can get stuff done if you want to."

Mary-Margaret looked to David and they shared a look. When they turned to Mara, Peter, and Jimmy, the three of them were all pouting their lips with sad eyes, looking at Jimmy's parents.

"It's fine with us," David laughed.

Jimmy spent the entire day with Mara and Peter. They walked around the docks, went for a walk in the park and ate lunch, and went to the toy shop. By the end of the day, Mara had bought herself, Peter, and Jimmy their own ice creams, hoping it would make him much more content than whiny after a long day filled with so much excitement. Jimmy finished his double chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cone within 2 minutes and was quick to rush to the playground and run to his heart's delight. Mara and Peter shared a classic french vanilla with rainbow sprinkles in a cute little cup and sat on the bench, watching him play.

"He reminds me of Henry and I when we were kids," Mara observed, watching Jimmy hold a stick like a sword, swiping at the imaginary villains in his mind.

"You played like that?" Peter chuckled.

"Oh yeah," Mara laughed, "You'll never guess what character we were though," she took a spoonful of ice cream and put it in her mouth, "Peter Pan and Captain Hook."

"Oh did you now?" Peter raised his eyebrows, "and who was who, might I ask?"

"Henry was you," Mara said.

"Which means you were your father," Peter sighed, "Why am I not surprised?"

"Because I love my father more than anything else in this world?" Mara asked, taking another bite of ice cream.

Peter sank back into the bench and looked at Mara quietly before saying to himself, "Yeah... that."

Jimmy slid down the slide and when he reached the bottom, he tripped and fell, but picked himself up, brushing the wood chips off his clothes. He looked at Mara with a great big smile and she gave him a thumbs up.

"You're very good with your uncle," Peter said sweetly.

"Don't remind me," Mara scoffed, "My family is so messed up that I'm babysitting my UNCLE. This is so not a normal family."

"Absolutely not," Peter nodded, "but that's not to say that your family's bad."

"Not at all," Mara agreed, "I think my family's great. I mean, yeah. It's a little weird. My half-brother and I are almost the same age as my parents AND my grandparents and my uncle is younger than all of us, but we're still good. Except for my paternal grandfather, of course."

"Yes, your power hungry dead paternal grandfather," Peter shrugged, "That is not so good."

"But other than that, we're great," Mara nodded.

"Obviously," Peter confirmed, "You're all so powerful in your own way. Plus, you're all so relentless and determined. Those are good qualities to keep and pass down."

"My parents certainly passed it down to me," Mara said, eating another bite of ice cream, then offering the cup to Peter.

He dipped his spoon in the cup, then took a bite, "And obviously, you'll pass it down to your children."

Mara laughed, "but that's not gonna be for a while."

"You think so?" Peter asked.

"Yeah," she shrugged, "I mean, I'm 21 forever. I have all the time in the world to settle down, get married, have kids of my own, and all of that stuff that comes with being on my own... I just wanna wait out."

"Of course," Peter nodded, "and there's also the fact that your mother is probably not ready to be a grandmother just yet."

Mara laughed out loud, "Yeah... if my mother became a grandma right now, she'd kill me."

"And then you're grandmother," Peter added.

"Oh god!" Mara shrieked, "Grandma is NOT interested in being a great-grandma right now."

"So maybe waiting out is what's best for all of your family," Peter chuckled.

"Yeah," Mara nodded.

Peter looked at Jimmy, simply enjoying watching Mara's uncle play around, so free-spirited and happy, as he ran around the playground, imagining anything he wanted. It warmed his heart. He stuck the spoon in the cup and took a scoop of the ice cream, raising it in the air.

"To the future," he said.

Mara raised her eyebrows, then repeated what he did, "to the future."

They clinked their plastic spoons together and laughed before continuing to eat. Mara picked up her legs and rested on the bench, leaning against Peter's shoulder. Peter knew this was a good place to be. Mara loved him and everything was good. Nothing could be more perfect than what Mara was happy with.

They returned Jimmy to his rightful owners, then headed over to Emma and Killian's for a bit of decaf coffee before bed time. After a light hearted conversation, Peter and Mara said goodnight, then went to the floor below.

"You have your key?" Mara asked, trailing slowly behind Peter.

He pulled a bunch of keys out of his pocket proudly.

"A ha!" Mara cheered, "He learns from his mistakes."

"I've been locked out enough times now, don't you think?" Peter chuckled and started sorting through the different keys he now had as one of the sheriff's domestic partner. It seemed like the keys had clinked together a million times before Mara pulled out her own key and shoved past him.

"I'm working on it," Peter said, "It takes practice, right?"

"Right," Mara laughed, placing the key in the lock.

Peter came up behind her and placed his hand on top of hers, feeling how her hands touched the doorknob.

"Like this?" he asked.

"You're getting there..." Mara said quietly.

She giggled and got the door open, then threw her bag on the ground and took her jacket off, hanging it on the rack.

"Do you want anything?" Peter asked, heading towards the kitchen.

"I'm good," Mara said, heading towards the bedroom, "I think our fridge has enough leftovers from Granny's to last a lifetime."

"You're right," Peter said, "I say we break into these sandwiches tomorrow afternoon."

"If there's three more we can have Lily, Henry, and Tristan over," Mara said, putting her hair up in a bun on top of her head.

"You really want to involve yourself in that love triangle?" Peter asked.

"No," she shook her head, "but it's not a crime to want to check in every now and then. It's been a year, you think she would have already made a decision."

"Those men are being respectful," Peter shrugged, "That's something I value in them."

"Oh yeah, like how you were real respectful with me when we met," Mara said sternly.

"In all fairness," Peter said, walking over to Mara and placing his hands on her waist, "it was your father I was after, not you."

"I know," she smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips.

Then the routine went as usual. Mara brushed her teeth, washed her face, changed into pajamas and hopped into bed with Peter shortly after her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, just like normal, and the two of them drifted off to sleep from there. The only thing that wouldn't make this perfect was how perfect it really was. Nothing was wrong with how Mara's life was, and to her, it was absolutely boring.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: That's all for now! I hope you guys liked it! Be sure to review, favorite, and follow the story! It means a lot to me when I hear back from my readers :)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

It was around three o'clock when Mara was at the sheriff's station with a pen cap in between her teeth and a pen tapping on the paper. Of course, her stomach started to rumble a little bit, so she called her one and only, asking him to pick up a snack for the both of them to share so he had an excuse to visit her. So Peter put on his good jacket and headed out of his apartment to the corner store in search of a large bag of Mara's favorite chips. Cheddar and sour cream.

On the street corner, he saw Henry standing there with his hands in his pockets, staring at the street light on the other side of the road.

"Henry!" Peter called.

He turned around for a moment, then raised one hand to wave at him.

"Hey Peter," Henry called back.

"Where are you headed to?" Peter asked.

"On my way to Game of Thorns."

"What do you need flower for?"

Henry looked down at the street, like he was almost embarrassed to say so, but a grin came across his face that he was trying to hide. "Tiger Lilies for Tiger Lily."

Peter laughed, "Nice one, my friend."

"Thanks," Henry said, almost blushing now.

"Oh boy, here it goes," Peter chuckled, pointing at his cheeks, "The latest installment of the love triangle saga of Storybrooke."

"Okay, okay," Henry said, "Look, I'm not playing any tricks or anything. I just like spending time with her, that's all."

"But you are aware that someone else likes spending time with her too," Peter added.

"Tristan," Henry answered, "Believe me, I'm aware. We agreed to play fair and let her choose on her own."

"Alright, don't tell anyone I said this, especially your sister," Peter said, lowering his voice to a whisper, "I'm rooting for you."

Henry smiled and pat his back, "Thanks, man. I'm rooting for you too."

Now it was Peter's turn to blush a little bit, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Henry teased, "Come on, there's nothing to be ashamed of. You should be happy that you're planning this."

"I'm not so sure," Peter said, shaking his head, "Mara made it very clear the other night that she wasn't ready for this."

"Take it from me," Henry said, "Mara may seem stubborn about some things, but she'll change if it means making the people she loves happy, and she certainly loves you."

Peter sighed and shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe you're right."

"I'm her brother, I know I'm right. So when are you gonna do it?"

He shook his head and smiled at himself, "I hate to sound cliché, but I really wanna do it when the time feels right."

"Yeah…" Henry chuckled, "You're right that is a cliché answer."

Peter followed that comment with a little pat to his chest pocket. The two of them laughed at little bit, then the light turned green and Henry crossed the street as Peter went on his way.

* * *

><p>There is nothing quite like Storybrooke at night right after the rain. The water makes the street lights shine brighter against the black pavement, the signs are still shining bright, bringing an amusement park feel to the place, and the way the town gets quieter that the squish of little footsteps can be heard from a block away. Tiger Lily liked that about this place. It was so unlike Neverland, but in the best way possible.<p>

"Lily!" Mara called.

She turned around, her long and thick black hair flying across her body and falling onto her back. In her hand, she was holding a white tiger lily flower. Mara ran up to her and took a moment to pause when she saw the flower.

"How'd you get that?" she asked.

"Oh, this?" Lily asked, holding up the flower and smiling at it, "Henry gave it to me. Isn't that sweet?"

Mara laughed and rolled her eyes, throwing her hands in her pocket and started walking towards Granny's diner.

"What?" Lily asked again, running up to catch her, "What's so funny?"

"It's just…" Mara said, "Henry and Tristan and all that."

"Here we go," Tiger Lily said, rolling her eyes.

"Sooner or later you're going to have to pick," Mara insisted, "You know that, right?"

"Of course I know that," Tiger Lily groaned.

"Oh good!" Mara cheered, "I was beginning to think you didn't notice!"

"Believe me, I noticed," Tiger Lily said with a chuckle, "Neither of them are very good at being subtle. Especially the way Henry talks about how stunning I am and how Tristan can't seem to get enough of my attention."

Mara laughed, "You know, for years I had no idea Tristan was in love with me. Either he's getting bad a subtlety or you just see something different."

"Could be," she shrugged, "but is it bad that I like having two boys chase after me like this?" Mara raised an eyebrow at her, "You know what I mean. I was the only girl on an island full of men who didn't want me. I was madly in love with Peter and he didn't even care. It's just nice to know that I'm not a total loss if two boys have fallen for me."

"Oh sure," Mara nodded, "The attention is nice and all, but I think you're seriously underestimating their patience. They will jump through hoops for you to pick one of them. If you held your heart up with a string, I'm sure they'd both start jumping up in the air like angry cats. I don't care what they say, they're not gonna uphold this honor code thing for long."

"I know, I know," Tiger Lily whined, "What I don't know is what to do. They're both great! I know Henry. I've known him since he was younger. He's grown so much. But Tristan? Tristan is… a mystery to me. He barely knows the home where he comes from, which is something exciting and unknown to me. But he's kind and he's clever. He knows his way around every situation and he's humble. If any man knows how to make it on his own it's him."

"You're not wrong," Mara said.

"And Henry?" Lily sighed, "Henry is strong and protective and sweet. He loves people so much and he's confident. He also has a strong heart and he loves with all of it, which is so comforting to know. If I choose Henry, I know that I have someone who is going to love me for a long time… and he's never going to give up on me." She smiled at the little flower in her hand.

"Well I can tell you this," Mara said, "Whatever choice you make… I doubt it'll be the wrong choice. They're both good guys."

"Yeah…" Lily nodded, "Speaking of choices… how are you and Peter doing? Everything's good?"

"Actually yeah," Mara answered, "Everything's great. We're living together and nothing's gone wrong yet. It's been like that for a little less than a year, so that's a good sign."

"Almost a year, you say," Tiger Lily teased, "If things have been going that well for that long, then that's certainly a sign, especially with a confirmation of true love when he woke you from that curse."

"Yeah… about that," Mara shrugged, "I'm not sure the whole true love thing works for me. Peter tried to kiss me once and it didn't work because I didn't love him. I loved him when he broke the curse, so I think it's all relative to my personal feelings, not on what's written in the stars-"

"Sounds like somebody's having some reservations," Lily said.

"Reservations?" Mara asked, "Not reservations more like…"

"Fear of commitment?" she raised an eyebrow.

Mara opened her mouth to speak and then let out a sighed, "Yeah, something like that. More like fear of a deeper commitment."

Lily laughed a little bit, "Well you may have that, but he might not."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing," Lily chuckled, "I'd just watch your back if I were you."

With that, Lily waved her flower in Mara's face, then strutted off into the diner, letting the bell chime loudly before she closed it. The door closing gently felt more like a slam against her entire body and it jerked her body forward like someone had pushed her. Yes, she loved Peter, but she didn't want to do so much as to marry him. But there was no way he was going to propose such an idea, right?


	3. Chapter 3

The sound of sizzling was resonating throughout the entire apartment that belonged to a very busy and happy Emma Swan, who was standing over the stole, stirring something furious inside a bowl on the counter next to the stove. She took the yolk covered fork out of the bowl and placed it down, then she picked up a bag of cheese and sprinkled it all over the already cooking egg on the stove. Once there was a thin layer of cheese on top of the egg, she put several more layers on top of it, followed by tiny slices of ham. The smell of the creation cooking in the pan caused a rugged and tired father to emerge from the bedroom.

"Breakfast, love?" Killian asked, rubbing his eyes as he approached his wife. He kissed her cheek and saw what was in the pan and chuckled, "Ham and cheese omelette… Mara's favorite."

"Well she's coming over," Emma said, "So we might as well."

Killian grabbed a cube of ham from a tiny bowl and popped it in his mouth, then he went to the cupboard to get a few cups and set them on the table.

"This is a good day, Killian," the blonde chimed.

"Oh yeah?" the pirate asked, "and why is that?"

"Peter's gonna pop the question tonight," Emma reminded him.

"Now did Pan tell you that or is that your mom telepathy you keep going on about?" Killian teased.

"Stop it," Emma laughed, "Peter came by the other day and told me himself that he was planning on asking her to marry him tonight."

"So the lad finally decided on a time," Killian said, "If you ask me, it took him long enough. He asked us for our blessing weeks ago."

"He's just nervous. Let the boy be a little nervous."

"Nervous enough to postpone the asking or rid of the engagement altogether?"

"Killian," Emma sighed, "I know what you're trying to do."

"And what is that, love?"

"You want to keep your little girl all to yourself," Emma said, smiling at him as she walked over to him, touching the back of his neck, "and you don't have to worry about that… it's not like you're going to be totally alone once she starts a life all on her own."

The seemingly sweet and teasing smile that Emma gave him made Killian almost weak at the knees, so he smiled back and leaned in to kiss her gently on her lips while his hands trailed along her stomach lightly and sweetly.

"We should tell her," Killian whispered.

"I know," she responded, "but I don't want to overwhelm her."

"Darling," Killian sighed, "How long do you think you can keep this kind of secret from your own daughter? If you don't tell her, she's going to find out herself. It's that stubbornness that she inherited from you anyway."

Emma rolled her eyes. "but with an engagement coming, she might be a little shocked. She may be like me, which means I know that she's not going to say yes right on the spot. She's gonna want to think about it. If she's anything like you, she'll say yes within the week, but we need to be gentle with her. Marriage is not going to be something she'll welcome with open arms. She'll want her family to be by her side just the way it is, no other strings attached."

"This," he said, rubbing his palm over her stomach, "Is not just a string."

"I know," she nodded, "Can we please just wait?"

He took a moment and then nodded, "Sure. If she says yes to Peter tonight in a heartbeat, we tell her the news. Maybe then she'll be happier than we expected."

"Maybe…"

* * *

><p>Mara was sitting on her couch in front of her TV with her arms crossed in front of her chest as she leaned back, staring at the blankness of the black screen with nothing on it. She kind of envisioned her future this way in her dreams and the emptiness of it bothered her. She wanted to get up and turn it on, make it exciting and add some adventure into the mix, but Henry wasn't at the apartment yet, so of course nothing could happen until he got there with the video game.<p>

"Okay!" Henry announced as he burst through Mara's door, "Who's ready for some one-on-one combat?"

Mara turned around, "Do you know anything about Peter possibly proposing to me?"

Henry frowned, "What does that have to do with Assassin's Creed 4?"

"I'm serious," Mara said, throwing herself back against the couch, "Tiger Lily was HEAVILY implying it the other night at the diner and now I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Peter bent down to tie his shoes this morning and I flinched."

"I have no idea what you're talking about…"

"Hen-."

"Seriously, I don't," he shrugged, bending down to put the game into the TV, "He hasn't said anything about the possibility of proposing to you whatsoever."

"Then why won't you look at me while you say that?" Mara asked.

"I'm putting the game on!" Henry said, defensively.

"Henry," Mara said, raising her eyebrows, "Do you know anything about Peter proposing to me?"

Henry turned around and looked at Mara for a second. He wanted to lie to her to keep it a surprise in some kind of way. As he looked into her ocean blue eyes, it was like he could feel little the water rising against him, pressuring him to tell the truth before he drowns. He hated when she did that to him.

"Alright, yes, he's planning on doing it tonight at the dinner," Henry said, then took a sigh of relief, "Damn you."

"At mom and dad's house?" Mara asked, "Then they have to know, otherwise they wouldn't be having this dinner in the first place… who's invited?"

"I think you, Peter, me, Lily, Tristan, grandma, grandpa, Jimmy, Rumpelstiltskin, and Belle."

"So everyone," Mara groaned.

"Not everyone," Henry reassured her, "You forget, Storybrooke is actually a pretty big town."

"This is a disaster!" Mara panicked, throwing her hands in her hair, "I can't get married now! I'm barely 22! Granted, I'll be 21 forever, but still! We're so young! Okay, so maybe he's a trillion years older than me, but I'm not a trillion years old. I still have a life to live. I lost the majority of my family for the majority of my life. I'm not ready to get married and start my own family when I don't feel like I've had the chance to be with my own family. We had a while, yes, but there were extended family who were trying to kill us and we had no idea who we were. I can't do this, Henry. I just can't!"

Henry paused for a moment and stared at her while the TV began to flash with the X-Box symbol on it behind him.

"You're afraid of commitment," Henry said.

"Ugh, you sound like Tiger Lily."

"Well she's right. You're completely and incredibly afraid of getting married."

"So tell me that it's okay to be scared," Mara said, "you're my brother, that's your job."

"No," Henry corrected, "My job as your older brother is to knock some sense into you when you need it." Mara groaned, so Henry knelt closer to Mara, "You love Peter, don't you?"

"Well yeah," Mara shrugged.

"Forget about true love and all those other complications," Henry said, "Think about it. You and Peter have gone through so much together and have still managed to find each other. That says something. I doubt that anything will come between you two and nothing is going to change that. Marriage is just a piece of paper compared to what you guys have." Mara didn't say anything, so Henry continued, "Just say you'll think about it if you're still unsure. Don't be so quick to say no."

Mara sighed, "Alright, fine. I'll give it a thought before dinner tonight."

Henry nodded and took a seat next to Mara, picking up the two game controllers and giving one to his sister. As the screen turned to the main menu.

"I call adventurer!" they both shouted, then Henry pinned down Mara and used his control to set himself as the video game character.

"No fair!" Mara shouted, "Now I have to be Lady Black."

"That is so fair," Henry said.

"Fine," Mara said, sitting on the edge of the couch, "then prepare to eat my dust."

* * *

><p>The twinkling lights that hung in the apartment were turned on, as well as a few white lanterns to give the place a soft and warm sort of feeling. There was a buffet of food laid out on the Jones' table as everyone stood around with a wine glass in their hands, talking and laughing about the adventures that Storybrooke brought them today. Mara seemed to be the social butterfly of the evening, practically fluttering around the room and jumping into whatever conversation she could get herself in to. She didn't want to stay in one place for too long, otherwise Peter would find his way into the group and he might find that as a good time to pop the question, so she kept dodging him.<p>

"Wait, darling," Peter said as he saw Mara fling herself towards the dinner table, placing little cheese balls onto her plate, "What's the matter with you?"

"the matter with me?" Mara asked, not looking at him, "I'm just hungry, that's all. Are you enjoying yourself? My mom's cooking really is amazing, isn't it-."

Peter placed his hand on her back, which made her straighten up out of a little fear. He looked deeply into her eyes, which made her entire body freeze.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked her.

"Yes…" she nodded, "I'm fine…"

"Good," he said, and then kissed her forehead lightly, "Go on, I think your grandparents haven't had enough of a conversation with you," he took the wine glass from her hand, "and I'll get you a re-fill."

"Rum," Mara said, "That's what I need right now."

"Fine, then," he said, and kissed her cheek before sending her off.

Mara headed towards her grandparents, who were in the midst of having a conversation, but the moment they saw her, they both turned to her with eager and happy smiles on their faces.

"Hey," Mara said, leaning over and giving her grandmother a hug.

"Mara," Mary-Margaret gasped, "You look absolutely beautiful!"

"Thanks, grandma," Mara blushed.

"Almost the spitting image of your mother," David said, giving Mara a small hug.

"Yeah," she nodded, "I'm just happy to see everyone together in one space that isn't granny's."

"So are we," Mary-Margaret said, "Jimmy's been dying to come to his big sister's house for a while. It feels like forever since we've spent a significant amount of time here."

"I don't see why not," Emma said, walking into the conversation, "We all haven't been quite as busy as we were when a new villain came every other week."

"I'll drink to that," Mara said, looking over her shoulder at Peter, who wasn't anywhere near the cabinet where her father kept the rum.

Emma chuckled a little bit, then stared at the floor, "I hope the food is to your liking."

"It really is," Mary-Margaret said.

"Yeah, it's great, mom," Mara said.

"Where's Peter?" Mary-Margaret asked Mara.

She looked around and had a very puzzled look on her face, "I'm not sure. Maybe he excused himself for a little bit."

"That's a shame," she replied, "I hoped that we would talk about how he's adjusting to the new life here and everything."

"Every day is more progress," Mara answered, "He still can't figure out the coffee machine, though, so I have to brew him a pot every morning and evening. Without it, he starts complaining. The really funny thing is he didn't even know about coffee until he got here, so he's still wondering why it makes him feel so much better."

Mary-Margaret and David laughed together, almost completely in sync, like they were already looking at each other laughing and were imitating every move they made, but they weren't. They just naturally moved together like that. It kind of made Mara wonder how her grandparents made their relationship work when they got married. Mary-Margaret was so strong and so independent that marriage would have been the last thing on her mind, yet it was the first thing. It puzzled Mara and had to compare the whole situation to herself. Why was her grandmother so willing to get married and Mara wasn't? Did true love even exist between her grandparents or do they just love each other so much that they're love can defy anything. Is that really what true love is all about?

The questions all swirled around in her head so fast that it almost had her disoriented and thrown off. She crossed one leg behind the other so she wouldn't fall completely over with the confusion. It wasn't her own thoughts that made her dizzy in the next moment. It was the sound of a silver utensil clinking against a wine glass.

"May I have everyone's attention, please?" Peter called.

The room fell silent and all eyes were on Peter. Mara glanced at her mother, who had a huge smile on her face. Mara's heart was racing. Peter was saying things about her to everyone. People laughed once or twice. The room was spinning and it was blurry. She just saw the silhouettes of people and no details in their faces. She couldn't find her mom or her dad or Henry or Tristan anywhere. They were just blurs all around her circling in a never ending carousel of confusion. She closed her eyes tightly and opened them back up to see Peter in front of her. She gasped softly.

"Mara," Peter whispered, "Are you sure you're alright?"

She shook her head, "I need to go for a second."

Mara dashed away from Peter and headed straight for the bathroom, hearing nothing but silence as she slammed the door behind her.

It was going to happen the second she walked out of that room. There had to be something she could do to run away and act like it never happened. She could fake being sick. By the way her head was feeling, she may not have to pretend. She sat on the closed toilet seat and stared at the wooden floor, breathing hard as she clutched onto her father's necklace that still hung around her neck after all these years. Marriage meant love, but it also meant commitment and devotion to only one person for all of eternity. No freedom, but stability. There was certainty, but there was also unspeakable uncertainty. She would have to leave the apartment that her parents got her. Peter would want a house by the sea big enough to raise a family in. Mara didn't want to leave the apartment. She wanted to stay by her family. Her parents needed her. It felt like she had only just gotten them back after losing them for four years and what felt like a whole lifetime after. She owed it to them to stay and be their child. They had all the time in the world to be the family that they had always wanted to be. It was too soon for them to lose her.

Mara looked over out the window of the bathroom and saw the town beneath her. The sun was just about to set and there were storm clouds forming to create a muggy feel in the air. Even the fresher air of the outside felt thick and dense. Mara shut the window closed and looked at the floor next to it. There was a little trash can sitting there with a blue box inside it. It said "clearblue" on it and there was a stick next to it. That little stick said the one thing that Mara least wanted to see.

"Pregnant. 2-3."

The bathroom door opened and suddenly, the conversation that as heard outside of it ceased. Everyone looked concerned at Mara, who emerged upset from the room. Peter stepped forward and placed his hands on her shoulders, but she shoved them away.

"Mom," Mara said.

Emma stepped closer to Mara, but Mara stepped away from her, looking down at her stomach with disbelief and shock in her eyes. Emma looked back at Killian, whose eyes widened when he realized what she had just discovered.

"Mara," Emma sighed.

"Another one?" she asked, "and just when were you planning on telling me this?"

Killian ran towards Mara, "Sweetheart-"

"Don't!" Mara hissed.

"Mara…." Peter said softly.

"And you don't either," she spat back at him, "Why are you doing this to me….? All of you! Why can't you just leave things the way they are! I would have wanted something to change… but not this… ANYTHING but this…"

Peter pressed his hand on Mara's back again, but she glared at him, "I said don't!" From the necklace, a flash came from it that pushed Peter back until he fell on the ground near Henry, Tristan, and Tiger Lily. It was Lily who bent down and helped him back up to his feet. Mara looked around at all the scared faces, especially the ones from her parents. Of course they were scared of her. Why would they love her if they didn't need her anymore to make them the happy parents they want to be? Mara shook her head and burst out of the apartment and ran down the stairs into the pouring rain.


	4. Chapter 4

Small drops of rain were still on the street. Those that had survived were not run over by the cars traveling down the road. Nobody was wandering the streets today. Everybody who left their houses were walking in straight lines, not talking to anyone. They passed each other as if they didn't exist. It was Belle and Rumpelstiltskin who found Mara asleep on a bench in the rain after everyone left Emma and Killian's home. When Mara opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a small little couch in the backroom of Gold's Shop. Belle was standing at a table with a tray of tea. She rubbed her eyes and stretched as she sat up, yawning.

"Good morning," Belle said, kneeling beside the couch and offering the cup to her.

"Thank you…" Mara whispered as she took it.

"You had quite the nasty evening last night."

"Tell me about it," Mara scoffed, "My boyfriend wants to marry me and my mom's having another baby."

"You'd think people would be excited about those things," Belle chuckled.

"I know," she said, rolling her eyes, "but because I'm so messed up in the head, I can't seem to enjoy those things. I have to think they're some kind of evil out to destroy me."

"That's like your mother," Belle said sweetly, "When she found out your father was in love with her, she was terrified and absolutely stunned. She didn't know what to do."

"Yeah…" Mara sighed, "but I think I do."

"I had a feeling you would," Rumpel said, entering through the curtain into the room.

"Good," Mara said, standing up with her tea cup still in her hands, "First off, I would like to-."

"No need, dearie," he said, "You were put in an awkward place. You did the best you could. As someone with magical powers, I understand completely."

"That's also good," she continued, "because I need a spell that could possibly help me through this."

"Alright then," Rumpel said, stepping over to a little cabinet and opening it, revealing several bottles inside it. He pulled out a little green vile, "Here's a tonic that could calm your nerves."

"No," she said, shaking her head, "I need something stronger than that."

"What are you looking to do with this, exactly?" he asked.

Mara set the cup down on the table, "I want to change the way I look at things. I need a new perspective on life that way I won't hurt the people around me."

"Well why didn't you just say so," Rumpel grinned, "I have just the thing."

He searched through the cabinets until he found a vial with blue liquid inside of it, sealed with a fresh looking cork.

"Here you are," Rumpel said, handing it to her, "I brewed it up just yesterday. I had a feeling someone might need it… but I must say, what makes you think you can trust my magic?"

"Nothing," Mara said bluntly, "Considering you turned me into a swan last time you used your magic on me, you'd think I have no reason to trust whatever spell you have…. but I'm out of options. I need to make the people I love happy. I won't change them, but I am willing to change myself."

"This should do the trick then," Rumpel said, "just drink it whenever you want it should work perfectly."

"Thank you," Mara said, putting the vial into her pocket, "and also, thank you for taking me in last night."

"Anything for someone as important as you," Rumpel said.

That made Mara a little bit confused, but she continued on anyway. She knew she was a big deal, being the savior's daughter and all, but nobody had ever said anything so casual as that. Maybe he just meant that she was Peter's girlfriend or Henry's sister, so she meant a lot to the boys and to the family in general.

There was no way a simple sip of the potion was going to fix the mess that her mind was in, so she headed straight to the docks and let the sea breeze clear her mind for a little bit. For once, being completely alone wasn't such a bad thing. There wasn't a single human being for miles ahead of her, just straight sea and clouds above it. There were no people to her left, nor to her right. The breeze brushed her hair back and cleansed her of every fowl thought. There was a boat right in front of her, one that nobody used and was resting right there on the water. She was far from people, but she needed to be farther. That would be the perfect place to get a new perspective. She clutched the little bottle in her pocket.

"Mara!"

She threw her head back so she was looking at the sky, as if there was some kind of way she could just disappear and act like she wasn't there.

"Peter said that you didn't return last night. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, dad, I'm fine," Mara sighed, "I just went to Belle's last night."

"Good," he said with a sigh of relief, "I'm glad you were safe. Do you have any idea how worried your mother and I were?"

He slowly approached her and started to wrap his arms around his daughter. Mara didn't hug him back, but she stood there, letting him have his closure. Still, all she could think about while he held her was that soon, he was going to hold another kid in his arms that could actually fit. It made her step back.

"I know things are tough for you now, sweetheart," Killian said, "but if you just return home with me, I'm sure the three of us can work this out."

"I think you mean the four of us," Mara said.

Killian scratched his nose and looked at the ground. "I am sorry you found out that way. We were planning on telling you last night."

"Honestly, dad," Mara halted, "There's nothing you can say right now that's going to make me feel better about this."

"Then what can I do?" he asked.

Mara turned around and looked at the boat, then looked back at her dad.

"I just need some time," she said, "Now is not the time talk to me about how you're practically replacing me with another kid. I could explode and let out all of my emotions like I did last night, but that didn't turn out very well for Peter and I don't want to do the same thing to you."

"No, Mara-."

"It's okay," she assured him, "I'm going on this boat. I'm gonna sail for a little while and if I'm not back by dinner, then I'm coming over for breakfast and we'll talk it over then."

Killian tried to step towards her with his hand outstretched, but she stepped away from him again.

"It'll be fine," she said again, "I promise."

He didn't say anything. He wasn't going to say anything if it meant making his only daughter more angry with him. For all of Mara's life, Killian had watched his daughter look up to him and love him with all of her heart. She almost looked like the spitting image of him and she was just as cutthroat as he was. It was hard watching her get on the boat by herself and sail away, but he had to let her do that. He gave the boat a little wave, knowing that she wasn't going to see it anyway.

Mara left the boat motor going. It was nice to have a boat that steered itself in this land. She didn't care where it was going, but she wanted it to go far away. If she ended up too far from port, she'd sleep on the ship and head back later. She was used to sleeping below the deck of a ship for years, so one night wasn't going to do anything to her.

She didn't know what the purpose of this little trip was supposed to be. She still held onto the vial in her pocket, waiting for the right moment to take it, but not knowing when that moment would be. She watched the waves roll behind the boat as it pushed forward through the water. When she closed her eyes, she saw herself back on the Jolly Roger on a high speed chase against the tide with the enemy close behind. It was whatever adventure she wanted it to be. It could have been the one eyed captain's crew, or the fearsome crew with only men who were heavy and strong enough to weigh down a ship. She remembered the dreams she dreamt in her sleep as a child. One enemy after the other couldn't compare to the fight that would meet Mara in her dreams. If only she could have fought Davy Jones in her time. Mara could have taken him, no problem. Instead, she stayed back in Storybrooke and became a cheap knock off of a police officer.

It was awful that Mara saw her life in Storybrooke as just a blockade keeping her from her childhood dream of defeating the most feared vessel on the seven seas and beyond. Mara could have been a legend by now. Instead of worrying about wedding rings and nurseries, she could have been sailing with a chest full of gold from every conquest. She could go to any tavern she wanted and hear stories about herself from sailors whispering to one another. That was something that probably wasn't going to happen now anyway. By now, people in the Enchanted Forest have had their fun gossiping about Mara Jones and had moved on to something else more exciting.

Then there was the matter of Peter Pan. That poor man was probably sitting in their bed regretting everything. She wasn't going to be surprised if she returned home only to see Peter ready to move on to greener pastures. After she practically ran away from his proposal in front of everyone, he was probably so embarrassed. He didn't deserve her. Peter was so kind and gentle. She often thought of how much he's changed since he stayed in Storybrooke for good. He became a noble gentlemen and very down to earth. It was sweet and comforting to know that she had a sweet man who loved her truly, but maybe that was the problem all along.

That was it. Mara shook her head and picked up the vial from her pocket. When she had snapped out of all of her rampaging thoughts, the sun was nearly set, but there were clouds all around the sky, so it was hard to see any sign of a sunset. All Mara knew was that it was getting dark and it was time to figure out what to do next. She stopped the motor from running and let the boat gently stop and relax along the push and the pull of the tide. She took the cork out of the bottle and took a deep breath, looking back at the tiny shape of Storybrooke behind her.

Mara raised the bottle to her lips and swallowed every last drop from it.

Just as the last drop went down her throat, a loud crack came from the clouds. A storm was coming. Those clouds weren't just there to keep the sun out. Mara panicked and threw the bottle into the water. The water started to get more fierce as the wind speed grew and the rain started to fall. She turned the boat around, but no matter how fast the motor was running, the boat wasn't making any significant progress towards Storybrooke.

The sky was dark now and the waves were loud and large around her. She was lucky she hadn't gone down with the ship yet, but the water was certainly overflowing onto the deck. Mara picked up a bucket and started throwing out any water that was resting in the boat. One giant wave came over her and pushed the boat back, letting a significant amount of water sink in. Mara had survived a storm before, so why was it so difficult to keep herself safe during this one?

There was no more time for questions. The wind was getting faster and the rain was falling harder. It was more and more difficult to see in front of her nose, let alone to the Storybrooke port to get back home. Mara grabbed a hold of the wheel, but by then it was already too late. A wave from the side overcame the boat and started to push it onto its side. Thankfully it held up, but Mara could feel the ship sinking at any moment. She grabbed onto it tightly and let the next wave come. She closed her eyes tightly as the wave came from the other side, lifting the boat up with it. It fell on its side into the water, parts of it coming off and falling into the water. The waves kept pushing and pulling Mara all over the place. She tried to keep her eyes open, but it was hard to. A wave came in and pushed Mara back. Her head hit the edge of the boat and everything went black.


	5. Chapter 5

One could say that the air was thick if there was any air to be found, but they day had a light fog to it, that was for sure. There was nothing but blue for miles and miles and yet there was still color everywhere to be found. Just in the distance, right where anyone would think there was nothing to be found, was a glorious gold shining castle that glimmered and sparkled for thousands of years before. It was peaceful and still. There wasn't a soul to be found out in the streets and everything was perfectly quiet.

Out from behind one of the towers, a little dark haired girl peeped her head out from behind, looking around from all sides. She pressed her lips together and squinted, looking harder at the place.

Suddenly, she felt a tap from behind her.

"Ah!" she screeched.

Bubbles filled her face as she saw a flash of red pass her.

"Not fair!" she shouted again, "I have to find you! That's how you play hide and seek!"

The little boy giggled and spun around several times, "You should have seen your face, Mel!"

She crossed her arms across her chest, "I don't think we can keep playing this game if you can't play fair."

The boy's face grew sad and he quickly wrapped his arms around her waist, "No! We can't stop now! We just started!"

"Then you have to play fair," she said sternly, "You hide, I seek. None of your tricks this time."

"Okay okay," he nodded, then he took her hands and threw them over her eyes, "Count to 50!"

She giggled and slowly started counting from one to fifty. The little boy rushed over to the nearest potted coral and sat behind it, laughing. He heard his sister counting all the way up to 20, but then he heard it getting quieter and quieter. He held his breath for a moment, but he felt a little tickle on his shoulder and burst into laughter, shooting up. His sister laughed.

"How does it feel now?" she mocked.

She pushed forward after him, both of them chasing each other around the castle, over the roofs of houses and through pillars and arches. The way they could dash around and spin and dive upside down was always an incredible feeling.

"Melody!" a man's voice called from below, "Sebastian!"

Melody heard the sound of her father's voice calling and she stopped, seeing him wave at her. She reached her arm forward and grabbed onto her brother's tail, dragging him down with her to meet her father.

"Yes daddy?" she asked.

"Your mother wants to see you immediately," Eric said, "Quickly, we must hurry."

Melody and Sebastian followed Eric into the palace, past the two thrones of the king and queen of Atlantica, and straight to the guest bedroom where Queen Ariel was sitting on the bed with a young woman in her lap. She was brushing out her long black hair and touching her pale cheeks.

"Mother," Melody said, "Who is this?"

"Children," Ariel said, "We have a guest. Please try not to overwhelm her."

"What happened?" Sebastian asked, pushing past his older sister to get a better look at the sleeping stranger.

"From what I could tell, a shipwreck," Eric said, "We found her lying on the ocean floor like this with wreckage all around her, so we brought her back here."

Melody looked carefully at the girl her mother was caring for. She had very long dark hair and a blue tail, how unlike her own peach color and Sebastian's fiery red one. It was dark blue, several shades darker than Eric's. She was wearing dark blue shells to match and her neck was accompanied by a little shell pendant around her neck. The instant Melody stared at it, it flashed blue, then back to white, causing the girl to toss a bit in Ariel's lap.

"Mother…" Melody said, "That necklace… is that-."

"Mara Jones," Ariel answered, "Indeed it is."

"The Pirate Queen?" Sebastian asked excitedly.

Eric laughed and put his hand on his son's shoulder, "I think you've been listening to too much village gossip. Mara is the daughter of our friend Captain Hook. Do you remember him?"

The little boy nodded, "I remember the stories."

"The stories of Captain Hook and The Savior," Melody reminded him, "She's the daughter and that's the necklace that the captain made from the shell that mom found."

"Shh," Ariel hushed, "She's waking up. Leave us, children."

Melody scoffed and crossed her arms. "Oh come on. At least let me stay."

"Melody," Eric scolded, "Listen to your mother. I will accompany you and your brother outside.

The two ocean blue eyes of Mara Jones started to flutter open. Around her she saw greenish-blue cave walls. She saw three people standing around her, one of which was familiar to her. When she got up, she found it more difficult than usual, like she was underwater. When she looked at her hands, moving them through the space around her, she saw the air bubbles rising. Mara touched her neck instantly and wondered why on earth she could be breathing right now. Then she looked down at the dark blue tail that had replaced her legs. Mara gasped.

"Shh," Ariel said, grabbing onto Mara's shoulders and rubbing them gently, "It's alright, dear one."

Mara turned around and gasped again. "Ariel?"

"It's good to see you again," Ariel said with a smile, "I'm glad you're okay."

She looked down at her tale and looked back to Ariel with her jaw open, "Okay is one way to put it."

"Don't you worry," Ariel assured her, "We'll keep you safe here in Atlantica. There's no need to fear anything."

"Yeah, except I'm a MERMAID," Mara panicked, "How did this even happen?"

"Well…" Ariel pondered, "Have you been playing with any sort of magic recently?"

Her eyes widened and then she frowned, "Gold."

"Gold magic?" Ariel asked.

"No," Mara hissed, "Mr. Gold. Rumpelstiltskin."

"Then there we go," Ariel said plainly, "You know better than this, Mara. How could you get yourself into a deal with Mr. Gold?"

"It wasn't even a deal," Mara said, trying to sit on the edge of the bed and having the weirdest time moving her tail down, "I was angry with my family and I needed some magic to help me gain a new perspective on things."

"I'd say this certainly counts as a new perspective."

"Tell me about it."

Ariel still looked puzzled, so she pried further, "But why would you even want to change anything in the first place? What did your family do that made you so angry?"

"Ugh, it was horrible," Mara said, throwing her face in her hands, "My mom is having another kid and my boyfriend wants to marry me."

She looked at the young woman for a moment, still completely confused.

"Humans are so strange," Ariel said.

"Yes, we're all very complicated," Mara agreed, "Some of us just have issues with keeping things the same while wanting them to be different. You could say that nothing was wrong with the way life was before any of this happened. I was happy… but I hated it. It was too cheerful and perfect to even be real. Then when I wanted things to change, my family goes and does it for me. If there's one thing I don't want to change it's my family. I don't want to marry Peter just so he can take me away from my parents and grandparents. However, it seems that my parents are going to survive on their own with another kid in the house to fill the empty void of me not being there."

"Mara, you can't look at it like that," Ariel sighed, rubbing her shoulder.

"That's why I needed a new perspective," Mara explained, "I didn't want to live with myself hating the people I'm supposed to love. Turns out that the potion I was given has some… fishy side effects."

Mara lifted her tail as she would her legs, but when she would try to separate her legs as normal, her tail jolted one way, almost causing her to fall over.

"This is going to take some getting used to," Mara shrugged.

"That's not a problem," Ariel said confidently, "I can teach you in no time at all, but first, it looks like you've been through a lot, so I should leave you to rest."

"Thank you," Mara nodded, resting down on the bed as Ariel got up, "I really could just lay down on a real bed right now."

"When you wake, come to the dining hall, okay?"

"Okay."

Ariel waved and went through the seaweed curtain out of the room. Mara rested her head down on the pillow, but it was hard to. It was hard enough to come to terms in a place where she could breathe underwater let alone a whole different city, or kingdom as it were. She heard the sound of the seaweed separating. Mara sat up immediately and saw the small green strands sway back into place.

"Who's there?" Mara asked, "Ariel? Eric?"

There was silence.

"I know someone is there," Mara said.

From behind the wall and through the curtain, a timid looking girl snuck through into the room.

"You… you're Mara Jones?" Melody asked, slowly approaching her.

"That I am," Mara sighed.

"Oh wow," Melody said softly, "Sorry, I'm being a little creepy. You're about to fall asleep and here is this random girl coming in here disturbing you."

"No it's okay," Mara insisted, "I'm not actually all that sure if I was actually going to go to sleep anyway."

"Good!" she said excitedly, "I'm Melody."

"You have to be Eric and Ariel's daughter," Mara said, "You look almost exactly like your dad."

"You should see my little brother," Melody blushed, "His hair is just as red as my mom's."

"I'm sure it is," Mara nodded, "Well I'm Mara... but I guess you already knew that… how do you know who I am anyway?"

"My mom used to tell me stories about you and your dad," Melody said, "Captain Hook, right?"

"Yeah," she replied, "Killian Jones, to be precise."

"And your mom?" Melody said, "She's like the savior or something of the town you come from."

Mara chuckled, "Sure. She rarely likes to call herself that, though."

"Wow, you must be the most clever and skilled woman on the planet," Melody said in awe.

"Oh please," Mara laughed, "There's no way I'm any of those things, not the most, at the least."

"I don't see why not," Melody said, "Your dad defeated Blackbeard, the pirate all pirates fear, and your mom has saved an entire town more than once. You're the product of that. Surely they've taught you things and you've been in a battle or two yourself. My mom told me how you went to Neverland with your first mate and Peter Pan to save the magic of Neverland and your parents."

"Wow," Mara said, her eyes widening, "It's almost unreal how that all happened almost five years ago…"

"And then I heard that you stopped a gruesome pirate villain from taking over the entire kingdom of Misthaven."

"Jack Sparrow…" Mara nodded, the memory of her deceased cousin coming back to light, "It's been so long since I thought of that one."

"Oh how exciting your life must be," Melody sighed, "You go through so many adventures that they're all fond memories from years and years ago. I envy you, Mara Jones."

"Trust me," Mara scoffed, "You don't envy me."

"But I do," Melody confirmed, "You live an exciting and adventurous life. Meanwhile, I'm not allowed to leave the kingdom unescorted."

"I think a glamorous castle, royal title, and an entire kingdom bowing down to you is pretty great," Mara shrugged.

"It seems like a great life… but I want something different…"

Mara's face naturally grinned after hearing this comment. It was strange how even though she wasn't even a human being, she still had a lot more in common with Mara than anyone would think already.

Just then a red tail dashed into the room with bright red hair to match. This had to be Ariel's little boy.

"Melody!" Sebastian called.

"What?"

"Daddy's coming back!" he said, "We have to get back to the throne room."

Melody looked at Mara, "Don't worry, whatever it is that brought you here, we're going to make sure you have the best time during your stay here, regardless."

"Thank you, Melody," Mara said sweetly.

Sebastian dragged Melody and pulled her out of the room. After the seaweed had settled, Mara struggled a little bit to get the covers over her large tail. It was then she realized she could float up a little bit and then fall right back into bed. Being underwater was a completely strange sensation. It was a change of pace from Storybrooke. Maybe Rumpelstiltskin was on to something after all. Maybe being in Ariel's home kingdom will help her gain a new perspective, that way she can go home, relieved to see her family, and grateful for the things happening around her. However, for now, Mara would lay her head on the pillow and watch the image around her go fuzzy until it went black and she peacefully rested where she laid.


	6. Chapter 6

Please! It'll be just for the day!" Melody begged as she sat around her family's breakfast table.

Ariel stuck her fork into her meal and took a bite, shaking her head. "Absolutely not."

"We're not falling for one of your tricks this time," Eric said with a chuckle, "Don't you think we would have learned from the last time?"

"But this isn't a trick," Melody insisted, "I doubt Mara's gonna be here forever. I should show her around the kingdom. Maybe talking to someone around her age will make her feel more comfortable."

Eric sighed, "Sweetheart, we would consider it-."

"If you didn't have a track record of leaving the castle grounds," Ariel added.

"That's true," Eric agreed, "We would prefer it if you stayed within these walls so we can keep an eye on you and make sure you and your brother are safe."

"Give me a break!" Melody groaned, "I'm 19! In the world above, girls like me are already miles away from their parents."

"Those girls aren't mermaids or princesses," Ariel said, "We have our own reasons for keeping you here, so we would like you to respect them and drop the subject."

Sebastian stumbled into the dining hall and took a seat. He started devouring his meal happily like a sea-dog. Melody rolled her eyes and set her utensils down.

"Suddenly, I'm not longer hungry," she said plainly before leaving the room.

There was silence that filled the water as the air bubbles from Melody's swim were dissolving. Eric leaned over to Ariel and touched her shoulder gently.

"Ariel," he said quietly, "Perhaps you should consider-."

"What is there to consider?" she whispered, "If we let Melody or Sebastian out, they will, without a doubt, be captured and then what will we do then?"

"I understand," Eric nodded, "but perhaps we must consider that Melody is grown up and she can handle the sea herself."

"Trust me," she said, shaking her head, "It's not time yet. She believes she is ready for adventure when really she is just scared by it."

"And I agree with you on that, she can be very timid in a new situation," he said, "but maybe she'll grow to learn."

Ariel sighed and crossed her arms, sitting back in her chair.

"Do you know who you sound like right now?" Eric chuckled.

"Who?" Ariel asked suspiciously.

"Your father," he laughed.

Ariel looked down at herself; at her tense body, crossed arms, and frowned expression. She relaxed her muscles and looked at her husband with his reassured gaze and heart warming smile. It made her laugh.

"Oh Eric…" she sighed, "You're right. I should be more lenient with her."

Melody's intention was to go to her room and stare out her window, like always. Instead, when she passed Mara's room, she stopped and thought for a moment. Having one of the most fearsome pirates to ever set sail in the next room wasn't going to happen all the time. She had to take action and hope that maybe Mara could change her life. If they became close enough friends, Mara would ask Ariel to let Melody go with her on land. It was worth a shot. She had to start following through with her impulsive decisions, no matter how frightening they were to her.

She peeked her head through the seaweed curtain.

"Mara?" she called.

"Yeah?" Mara answered, who was sitting at the vanity table brushing through her long dark hair, "Melody. Good morning. Is something wrong?"

"No, not really," Melody said, coming into the room, "I just wanted to offer you a tour of the castle while you're here with us. You might as well get to know the place where you're staying beyond this little room."

"That'd be nice," Mara nodded, "Thanks."

"It's no problem. It's nice to actually do something fun around here. But we can't actually leave the castle. I'm not allowed to do that."

"You aren't?" Mara asked.

"Yeah," Melody sighed, "It's kind of a royal family rule. Well, not for Sebastian. He gets to roam around wherever he wants because he's the "golden child" around here."

"Jealousy can be a cruel thing," Mara chuckled.

"Tell me about it," Melody said, rolling her eyes, "Sebastian gets to do whatever he wants whenever he wants and he's only 10. I'm 19 and I still can't sit down without getting a posture inspection."

Mara nodded, "You see, that is why I'll never be a real princess. Too many expectations to be perfect."

"But you kind of are, aren't you?" Melody asked, "The Captain's Daughter and all?"

"Yeah, I am, but Captain's Daughters have more fun."

She put the brush down and got up.

"Shall we?" Mara asked.

"Yes," Melody said and lead her out of the room.

They swam down a large hallway with golden poles that stretched up to form arches high above their heads. It was like a forest full of them that were nearly impossibly to navigate, and yet, Melody knew her way through all of it.

"There is one side to always being in here," Mara said.

"What?"

"You never get lost."

Melody laughed, "Yes, I suppose that's true."

As Mara followed Melody as closely as she could, they came across a bigger golden arch which lead to a large room that had four chairs in them. There were the two biggest next to each other, then two smaller ones on either side.

"Ah yes," Melody said, "This is the throne room. My parents sit here and make royal decrees and such while I try and act like I'm not bored and Sebastian picks his nose and no one cares."

She rolled her eyes and immediately swam away, the bubbles getting in Mara's face.

"So you have brother issues?" Mara asked.

Melody pressed her lips together, "What makes you say that?"

"Just a guess," she responded, "Sebastian has all the freedom you've ever wanted and he's just a kid."

"Oh… that," Melody sighed, "Yeah… it's just that… ever since Sebastian came along, I've been put on a tight leash while Sebastian has remained perfect in my parents eyes. They prefer him to me. It's obvious."

"Believe me," Mara said, "I already know what that feels like."

"But your life has to be better than this," Melody said, "You're probably free to do whatever you want."

"I am," she nodded.

"What's it like?" Melody asked excitedly, "Is it glamourous and adventurous and never-ending?"

"Well you got the never-ending part right," Mara laughed, "But I mean, it was nice while it lasted. My family and I live in this small town in this place called Maine-."

"Storybrooke," Melody said with fascination, "My mother told me about that place."

"Yeah," Mara continued, "It never gets any warmer than 72 degrees every day and we're right next to a beach and a pier, so it has a really nice sea smell to it. There are a lot of shops and restaurants but you'd swear that there's only one diner that everyone eats at called Granny's. Every morning, I wake up next to my boyfriend, Peter, and I head down to the sheriff's station with my mom, dad, and grandpa. We're usually investigating the supernatural, trying to keep our town safe. After that, I head over to visit my best friend, Tristan, then my older brother, Henry, and I play video games at my house. I usually either have dinner with my boyfriend or with the whole family. It tends to get pretty crowded when we all get together. My grandparents and uncle Jimmy live in a building right next to ours. My mom and dad live above me and Peter and I have our own place together. Sometimes we fight crime and magical beings, but when we're not doing that, we're pretty peaceful people. Except for the drama. We're really bad at handling drama."

"That sounds perfect," Melody giggled.

"It was…" Mara said quietly, "but I needed a break. I'm glad I'm here."

"Well I'm sorry I'm not much company," Melody shrugged, "We can't really go anywhere besides around the castle."

Mara looked around and saw a little arch opening that lead straight out of the castle.

"There's a way out right there," Mara said, "Why don't you just go?"

"If it were that easy, it would have happened years ago," Melody sighed, "The servants entrance is heavily guarded."

"Oh come on! You live under the sea. The majority of the world is covered with water. You have all of this space to be whatever you want with the most beautiful things surrounding you. It's time you realized that."

"Believe me, getting out is harder than you think."

Mara raised an eyebrow, "Hi, I'm Mara Jones. You've heard of me, right? Watch and learn."

Mara swam towards the entrance and held her hand out, telling Melody to wait where she was. She went into the beat up and shaggy vestibule and picked up a sharp object from the ground, not knowing exactly what it was. She came out of the next arch way and was immediately met with a guard who was standing against the entrance. She pulled one of his arms behind his back, causing him pain, and held the sharp object to his throat.

"Tell the King and Queen about this and you're going to have to answer to me," Mara whispered in his ear.

"Mara, don't!" Melody called, swimming through the entrance.

"Don't worry," Mara assured her, I'm just going to leave him a little going away present.

She held the object to his throat and traced one single straight line down only causing a little blood to come out.

"You scratched yourself on a sharp coral, got it?" Mara spat.

The guard nodded with fear and she let him got as he grabbed on to his neck wound. Mara grabbed Melody's hand and rushed off towards the villages. That was where Sebastian was playing with some of the village boys. When he caught sight of her peach colored tail, he frowned and rushed after her.

"Melody!" he called, "Melody wait up!"

The princess turned around and groaned, "What are you doing here? Go back home!"

"No! Mom and dad said you can't leave," Sebastian argued.

"Mom and dad aren't here right now," Melody hissed, "This is none of your business."

"Sebastian," Mara said urgently, "I just wanted to show her something. Don't worry. She's safe in my care. Don't you trust me? A fearsome and daring pirate?"

"I'm coming with you," Sebastian said.

"Fine," Melody huffed, "Just don't lag behind."

The three of them continued to swim over dark rocks that were covered in moss and barnacles until the rocks suddenly ended in a cliff that went down into a beautiful coral reef. It was filled with life and color as the fish swam together, laughing and chasing each other. It was like a whole town down there, Mara thought. Melody and Mara watched in awe of the little reef below them. It was everything the both of them wanted. There was nothing wrong, it was never changing, and it was free. They both wished they could just turn into little fish and swim with them, not having another care in the world ever again.

A large and dark shadow came over the reef and the fish all started whispering to each other, hurriedly returning to their own shelter with their families.

Mara looked around her and tried to figure out where that shadow was coming from, but when she turned around, she only saw Melody, no Sebastian behind them.

"Melody," Mara asked, "Where's Sebastian?"

Melody's muscles tensed and her heart started racing. "Sebastian?" she called, "Where are you?"

"Sebastian!" Mara called again.

A small shriek came from nowhere and suddenly, Sebastian was lifted by a net carried by two stingrays with their tails.

"No!" Melody cried, "Sebastian!"

"Melody! Help me!" he cried.

Mara took off towards the stingrays who were swimming fast away into the foggy water. She was almost to Sebastian, who had his hand reached out to her, but when she barely touched his fingers, she felt pulled back and she fell onto the rocks with a loud thud. Mara looked and found her tail had been caught in a coral.

"God, I hate this thing," she hissed to herself.

"Sebastian!" Melody cried, swimming to Mara to help her up.

"Melody!" Sebastian continued to cry until he was no longer visible through the foggy waters.

"What am I going to do!?" Melody said, breathing heavily as she threw her hands in her hair, "My parents are going to kill me or worse… what if something bad happens to Sebastian!?"

"Okay, okay!" Mara said, getting up and grabbing onto Melody's shoulders, "It's gonna be okay."

"It's not gonna be okay!" Melody shouted, "My brother has been kidnapped!"

"We're gonna get him back," Mara said, "I promise you that. I won't stop until we get him back."

Melody nodded, her hands shaking as well as the rest of her body. If Sebastian were to die in any way because of what she did, she would never forgive herself. How could she forgive herself for losing him in the first place? Mara could see the worry and the fright all over her face and body. It wasn't hard to see. She was going to help Melody get through this. She knew what it was like to lose a brother before and she wasn't going to put Melody through that.


	7. Chapter 7

Melody and Mara agreed that Ariel and Eric couldn't know anything about what was to come. She understood the situation well enough to know that making her parents worried wasn't going to do anything when Mara could possibly get Sebastian back home very easily. Mara asked Melody where they would start looking first, so she pointed Mara in the direction of an old cave that resided against the kingdom.

The cave was in the more darker part of the ocean. There was a trench that surrounding the golden bars of Atlantica, so they had to swim down and through it, ducking from the large pieces of seaweed that occasionally smacked Mara in the face. She was never going to get used to this, especially when there was a large current trying to push them back.

The girls reached a dead end and Melody knocked three times against the rock in a sort of pattern. A large rock rolled away and she let Mara go in first. That's when they found a tunnel with no sort of trick but darkness and only one way to go.

"So who are we seeing again?" Mara asked.

"Flounder," Melody replied, "He's the only fish in the ocean who knows just about everything. He has the gift of sight. If anyone ever has a question about anything, Flounder can most definitely answer it. His catch? Only one question per mer-person."

"Only one?"

She nodded, "It keeps his customers coming back and if they stay too long during a visit, he grows angry."

"So he's like a wizard type fish thing?"

"Yeah… something like that. Have a question ready. I'll ask mine first and then you can help by asking another question so we have all the details we need."

"Sure thing."

"And also be careful," Melody warned, "Don't say anything in the form of a question, otherwise he'll answer it and your question is up."

Mara nodded.

The cave continued along until little glowing pink pieces of seaweed started to form as the girls swam down the tunnel further. It wasn't long before the whole tunnel was glowing and there was a curtain entrance to a big and bright room filled with potions and spells with a large crystal in the center with a giant shell behind it.

Melody pointed to the shell and nodded at Mara.

"Sir Flounder," Melody called.

The shell turned around and revealed a very old looking blue and yellow fish that rested on a cushion inside the shell. He looked disturbed and very tired, but the moment he laid eyes on Melody. he smiled.

"Ah," he sighed, "Melody, my child."

"You… uh…" Mara stuttered, trying not to form a question but a statement instead, "You seem previously acquainted with each other."

"Yes..." Flounder nodded with a smile, "Her mother and I were once the closest of friends before I took my father's place an oracle. Tell me, Melody. Your mother; she is well?"

"Very," Melody answered.

"And your father?"

"Still strong."

"Good. Just as I've seen before," he said with a nod, then closed his eyes and held out his fin, "My dear, as much as I adore your family, you have brought payment, haven't you?"

"Well…" Melody said, turning to Mara and looking into her eyes before looking down at her necklace.

Mara grasped onto it and shook her head.

"Hesitancy, I see," Flounder said with his eyes still closed, "That necklace means a great deal to you, which is why it is the perfect form of payment."

Mara shook her head again, "Sir Flounder, I can't part with this. It's all I have left of-."

"Of your former human life among your parents, grandparents, brother, and sweet Peter Pan. It was a gift from your father and now that you've lost everything, the only thing you have left is that little shell that rests on your chest."

Mara gasps.

"Told you he was good," Melody whispered.

"You know about-."

"I know everything, especially about you, Captain Jones," Flounder said, "You've traveled to the ends of the earth so save the ones you love. Not only is your story legend on land, but it is also legend in the sea. Beware, do not let your legend keep you from valuing what is important."

Mara's jaw fell open and she looked down at her necklace, also seeing the silhouette of the fish's fin getting closer to her. She look the necklace off and squeezed it in her hand, hugging it to her one last time.

"I'm sorry, dad," she whispered into her palm, then put the necklace in the fin.

"Well done," Flounder said, "You will be rewarded for this, I assure you."

The crystal ball then began to glow and Flounder raised his fins in the air as a sort of magical dust started to form around the ball.

"What is it that you seek?" Flounder stated, "Speak one question and one question only for every visitor."

Melody came forward. "Sir Flounder, my brother Sebastian has been kidnapped. Where has he been taken?"

Flounder opened his eyes and instead of the regular eyes Mara was used to seeing, they were glowing white and he stared at the crystal ball. The ball then formed purple smoke inside it until it showed an image of little Sebastian sitting on what looked like a glacier of ice, tied up and struggling with his tail barely in the water.

"The ice glaciers," Melody said, "He's in the ice glaciers in the south keep."

Flounder nodded, "There are two of you in my presence. Ask your second question wisely."

Mara came forward next and looked at the crystal ball where the smoke was dissolving the image of Sebastian.

"What do we need to save him?" Mara asked.

"Ooh! Good one," Melody whispered.

"What you seek to save the little prince is the most powerful object in Atlantican history," Flounder said as the ball started to form an image of a golden rod, "The triton that belonged to our oldest king. When he left this world, he broke it into four pieces and scattered it from here to the glaciers. All you have to do is find it. First, you will find the rod an underwater volcano. Second, you will find one point in the mist. Third, you will find another point in the gardens. Fourth, your final piece lies at the destination, but only your bravery and mite can retrieve it."

Melody bowed her head.

"Thank you for your services," she said.

Flounder's eyes returned to normal and the glowing stopped as he fell into the shell and it turned around again. The girls swam back in the opposite direction out of the long and dark tunnel where they started to make plans for traveling to all the destinations. The volcanos, the mist, the gardens, and the glaciers.

"I think we should return to the castle and rest up," Mara said, "We're no good if we're tired."

"But then my parents will suspect us for sure," Melody argued.

"If anything," Mara contradicted, "they're not gonna see it coming if they think we're safe and sound within the boundaries of your very large castle."

And so they agreed. That night, they would sneak out through the window of Mara's bedroom without being seen to begin their journey to save Sebastian.

* * *

><p>The sheriff's station was quiet on most nights. The town of Storybrooke felt deserted or at least that's how the people were beginning to feel now that one of their own was lost to them. Emma Swan sat in the station, tapping her fingers against her desk and waiting to hear the sound of a door opening. When she did, she flinched and sat up only to see husband, father, and oldest son barging in with Tristan by their side.<p>

"Anything?" Emma asked.

"She wasn't in the boathouse," Killian said.

"Or at her hunting spot in the woods," David said.

"She wasn't in her apartment or at the playground," Henry said.

"Nor was she hiding at Granny's," Tristan added.

All of them found seats of their own to relax in except for Emma and Killian, who stood up and started to pace around the station.

"And she hasn't turned up here?" Killian asked his wife.

"No," Emma said disappointedly, "It's been killing me. Every time I hear a sound, I flinch and hope harder than ever that it's her."

The sound of the door opening came again and both of Mara's parents flinched and looked hard at the entrance to the room. Only Mary-Margaret, Jimmy, and Peter came inside this time and they all sighed sadly.

"Anything?" Peter asked anxiously.

Emma came up to Peter and hugged him tightly, "Nothing yet."

Peter sighed and nodded.

"But we will find her, mate," Killian said, "We all wanna see her home safe and sound, no doubt about it."

"If you had just let me in on the search party, we would have found her sooner," Peter argued.

"And I'm the best tracker here," Mary-Margaret added, "We could be a big help."

"and then who's gonna watch our son?" David asked, "We don't know what or who happened to Mara, so we have to be careful about these things."

"And no offense, Peter," Henry interjected, "but you weren't in the best emotional state when you found out she went missing."

"Alright," Killian said, silencing everyone, "Now if Mara isn't anywhere in town, we have to get creative."

"You're saying she's outside of town?" Mary-Margaret asked, "Do you thinks he crossed the town line?"

This comment made Peter tense.

"No," Killian said, shaking his head, "The last I saw of her she was going for a sail. If we haven't seen her since, perhaps she's either lost at sea or ended up on some island. Whatever the case be, we need to go after her as soon as possible if we're going to find her in one piece."

"He's right," David said, standing up, "Peter, I want you to go up to your apartment and grab something of Mara's. Maybe we could get Gold to do a locator spell. Mary-Margaret, you can bring Jimmy but none of us are leaving each other's sides. Tristan and Henry, go with Killian and set up for the voyage."

Everybody nodded and started to leave the room, but Emma grabbed onto Killian's arm before he could leave her alone again.

"And what do I do?" Emma asked, "I can't just sit here and wait to see if she turns up. I want to be out there with you, with our family, finding OUR daughter."

Killian sighed and place his hands on either side of his wife's shoulders, "You know why I can't risk losing you…"

Emma nodded and touched her stomach gently, "Right… the pregnant lady can't drink alcohol or go on magical rescue adventures."

He chuckled, "I'm sorry, love… but we can't risk the life of our child and I won't risk yours."

"There's no way I'm going to be okay with this," Emma argued, "I just feel so helpless sitting here flinching every time I hear a door open. I need to be out there with my husband and my family or I just feel useless."

Her husband sighed and hugged his wife closely, kissing her forehead then wrapping his arms around her back and rubbing it.

"I love you Emma Jones," he whispered, "which is why… during this entire trip… I'm not letting you out of my sight, not even for a moment."

Emma nodded and started to shed a few tears into his shoulder. Killian could feel her uneasy breathing and he took her face in his hands, kissing her forehead and trying all he could do to comfort her.

"I just feel like part of this is my fault," Emma said quietly, "or maybe I'm just really unnecessarily emotional because of these stupid hormones."

Killian laughed and started to sway his wife a little bit.

"I just want my baby girl back…" she whispered.

"As do I," Killian said, "Believe me, as do I."

* * *

><p>From the depths of the ocean, Mara couldn't sleep. She stared at her new tail and out the window at what looked like a new life she was going to have to get used to. The gold was still shimmering, but was dimmed in the moonlight. She could barely see the ripples of the surface over her head as though they were stars in the night sky.<p>

She thought of her parents, how they were probably sitting together while they shed tears. She thought of her family, how they were gathered in her parents apartment, wondering if the worst had happened. She thought of Peter and the messy empty sheets of their bed that would remain empty for the longest time and his look of frustration and fear. Of course, these were all just fantasies, because Mara assumed that things were better up in Storybrooke now that the only thing ruining their lives was gone.

Mara had one wish. She hoped that whatever was going on, that her parents would be happy in the arms of each other and with the hope of their new child. It was all she wanted for them.


End file.
